33. Flying
Chapter thirty-three
Flying
Owen
Cole’s been back at the office comms room in the UK for the last twenty-five minutes. We had to take him off an assignment to bring him back. From what I have heard, he hates being the babysitter for this woman anyway. I’m not asking about it. I will at some point, but I’m still raging on the inside. I can’t get over how close Charlie was, and I didn’t even know.
How could I have not known? How did I not sense her?
Did she know I was here?
Did she know and avoid me?
Did she think she couldn’t reach out when all this went down?
We’ve been on video call for a while, still in this conference room, where the air’s getting thinner, making it harder for me to breathe. I’m checking everything Cole inputs into the system to try and get a trace on Charlie. I’m a wreck.
Zan and Dom have gone to take a look at her suite to see if there was anything she left behind or a note… anything that would help us find her.
“O, I have some footage of the hall in the hotel. Have you seen it?” Cole asks. Fuck, this is it.
“No, bring it up on the screen.”
Cole connects the footage to the large screen before he presses play just as Dom and Zan appear, holding a suitcase.
“There was nothing in her suite,” Dom announces. “It’s already been cleaned for the next guests, but we asked the woman at reception if there was anything left in Charlie's room. She burst out crying saying she wasn’t supposed to say anything, that they told her not to,” he says, holding his hands up to me, ready to deflect anything I say to him.
“Who told her not to?” I bark, feeling the embers of frustration rise further. “Who’s keeping secrets? And why?” Jumping up, I want to get a better look at what they have.
“I’ve asked Harley to intervene. She’s on it.” Dom sinks into the chair, lifting the case onto the table. “She did, however, give us this. She told us it was left in her room. She said the police thought nothing of it, and left it with her.”
“Why would the police think nothing of it? If it was left in her room, why would they think she went home after the attack?” That’s doesn’t add up. “This would be a reason to keep searching, not close the case,” I add, confused.
“I agree. Someone’s lying to us,” Dom admits.
“Do you think it’s possible the police were paid off so no-one would look for her?” Zan’s hit the nail on the head right there.
“Shit, that’s the only thing that makes it all make sense. Even if we try and question the officers, they’ll deny everything.” Harley slips through the door and takes a seat next to Dom, linking their fingers together. Before I can ask what she found out, Cole’s voice speaks up over the video call.
“Shall I play the footage from the hall?” I nod, bracing myself. It’s time we found out what happened.
We watch Charlie in tiny bikini, and shorts. “Fuck,” I say. It’s a whisper, but it doesn’t go unnoticed by the guys, their attention flicking to me for a split second.
She’s walking through the door of the hall, from the café to the indoor area, looking down at her phone.
“It looks like she’s recording?” I can’t be sure.
“I’ll pull up the details after we watch this. See what was on her phone,” Cole notes to himself. She’s too busy looking at her phone to realise there are two people in the hallway. I can’t see their faces. One of them is hanging back, letting the other step towards her. She stops dead, looking up. The first guy, says something to her and then a split second later, his hand wraps around her upper arm a visible tattoo on his hand pulling her, towards a seating area, I know his grip must be tight because she flinches, trying to step back. He pulls her forward and we lose sight of them. We don’t see what happens next, but one of their backs hits a table. I can’t tell which one, but it’s with so much force it sends the small table flying. A moment later, we see an arm fall to the floor. It’s all happening off screen and we only get glimpses of what’s happening.
Is someone helping Charlie?
A second later, we watch as another hand hits the floor. They don’t move, not for a while. Did Charlie knock them out? Then she’s running down the hallway, phone still in her hand.
“Fuck, she could be hurt,” I say, my voice cracking with fear. What happens next astounds me, leaving me confused.
Both Cole and Leon have stood up, and big smiles on their fucking faces, shouting, “Yes, that’s our girl.” They actually fist bump each other.
Harley looks on in awe, telling me she knew she’d like this woman. Dom’s just looking at me, a smile on his face. Zan and Grey just say, “She’s fucking hot.”
“What the fuck, guys? Did you not just see what happened? My girl was fucking cornered and goddamn attacked. Someone must have been helping her. We need to find out who.” They all exchange a look that I don’t understand.
“I think you need to have a little more faith in your woman, Owen.” Those words from Dom cut deep.
What am I missing?
Cole and Leon agree with him. I don’t get a chance for a comeback.
Cole confirms she was videoing at the time. “There’s a tattoo on the hand of the guy that grabbed her arm.” I point out, Cole put the image into the system to see if we can identify the owner. My mind wonders back to the message she left me over a week ago now.
“It means you never got to know me if you think I need to be looked after. I can look after myself pretty well…”
“What do you know that I don’t?”
“That’s not our story to tell, Owen, but what Dom said is right, we all underestimated Charlie. Have some faith in her abilities.”
“Okay.” I trust these guys with my life, and apparently with the woman I want most in my life. “Okay,” I repeat. Now is not the time or the place.
“Harley, what did you find out?” Dom asks. Standing up, she opens the suitcase while reeling off the information the receptionist, Sophia, told her.
“It wasn’t the police that told her not to say anything. The suitcase was taken from the room before the police arrived.” she explains
“That would explain why they took so little interest. Who took the case?”
“This is where it gets interesting. Damn, I love rich people sometimes.”
I’m getting impatient, my finger tapping on the table where I’m sitting.
“Harley,” I bark, earning me a look from Dom that forces me to calm down a fraction because I think he might kill me if I speak to Harley like that again.
“Chill your boots, ghost boy. I’m getting to it. A short while after the attack, an older couple took the case and handed it to Sophia. Asked her not to say anything and that they would be flying it back for her when they left.”
“Who’s the couple?” I ask, leaning forward a fraction.
She looks at Grey, smirking. “The cocktail king and queen. Hank and Bridget Lincoln.”
“What? Why would they have her case? They have to know more. Did you speak with them, Grey?” This could be something. They have to know something.
“I’ll go and track them down now. See what I can find out.” With that, he’s off out of the room, the door banging closed behind him.
“O, we have everything, or we will do. We will find her. From the looks of things she ran, she wasn’t taken. That’s gold. And you know it.” Harleys right, but I won’t rest or relax until she’s by my side, safe and in my arms.
Not even ten minutes later, Grey walks back into the room, followed by who I can only assume are Hank and Bridget Lincoln. They look nervous. I guess we can be a little intimidating.
Grey introduces everyone while pouring them both a glass of water before encouraging them to sit and start.
“So you are Leon and Cole. We have heard so much about you. It’s nice to put a face to a name. Charlie talked so highly of the both of you, although she seemed a little pissed off at you, Leon. She never said why.” Bridget seems to of overcome any nerves, her husband remaining silent by her side.
“We had a day out in the old town yesterday. It was beautiful, bought so many things for the family. I can’t wait to give them out.” Hank squeezes her hand slightly, as if to keep her on track. “Right, sorry, Charlie… we have been getting on so well. We’ve had dinner and drinks every night since she got here. She’s brilliant. The whole package.” Don’t I know it?
“Anyway, on our way back to our villa yesterday, Charlie literally ran into us, leaving her room.” Taking a deep breath, she looks upset.
“She was hurt. You could see that right away. A red, angry mark on her cheek and what looked like a handprint on her arm.” My body tenses as she points to the area on her upper arm where we saw him grab her.
“She was shaken, upset, said she needed to leave, but couldn’t get on her flight. She had her backpack, but no case. She was scared, but there was a confidence about her… I don’t know, like she was determined.” She rolls her lips, biting the bottom one before she continues.
“Hank then took over. He told her to trust us, to go and get in the private car we have and he would take care of the rest.” Hank nods to agree with his wife.
“My husband sent her on her way, arranged for the car to take her to the private airport, and take her back to the UK. I then added some supplies to the plane for her, a change of clothes, some first aid supplies, and she was gone. We dealt with the security and customs for when she arrived. Security told us she ran as soon as she got off the plane, but she was okay.” Looking to her husband for comfort, he brushes his thumb over the back of her hand. There's a wave of relief that weaves its way into my chest , taking my first breath for what feels like hours . She’s alive. Thank fuck for that. It’s quickly replaced my the claws of anxiety. She’s on the run.
“So, our Charlie made it back on a private jet?” Leon looks impressed.
“Yes, oh and we gave her some money, but it wasn’t a lot. We don’t carry around that much cash, especially English currency. It was only a few hundred pounds.” She looks almost ashamed that she couldn’t give her more. “Is she going to be okay? I’m worried for her.”
Hank finally talks. “We did what we thought was right, and we’d do it all again if we had to.”
“What happened with the suitcase?” Grey adds, leaning across the table and tapping it. It’s the one question they have not answered yet.
“Well, we kind of came to our own conclusions about what happened to Charlie. The marks on her arm and face, the way she was running, vague on the information she was giving, like she wanted to protect us from something, or someone. We walked into her room and took it, hid it in our room while the police were here, then we took it to Sophia after they left. Hidden in plain sight. We planned to take it home to take it back to her on our visit in a few weeks.”
“Thank you.” I can’t say any more. I don’t know if I should be relieved or not. She’s on the run. She’s hiding. And I have no idea where she is. There are people after her that will do anything to silence those who know too much. And Charlie knows too much.
“Leon, can you search her apartment above the shop? If she’s been working with Holland and Brooke, she has to have files or access to files in there somewhere. We need to know what she does.”
“Sure, we looked when she was broken into, but had no idea about any of this. We’ll go, see if we missed anything.”
“Thank you. I’ll be back as soon as I can. I have a place where we can all meet. I don’t want to draw attention to the unit. I’ll send the coordinates over.”
While Cole takes all the car and plane information from Hank and Bridget, I head out for some air. Before the door can close, Dom, Zan, Grey, and Harley stop me, Zan placing a hand on my shoulder.
“You only mentioned you being on that flight back home.” Zan’s questioning tone leaves me unable to respond. Of course I’m getting on that flight. What the fuck is he talking about?
“We are all going to see this through, Owen. We’re going to get your girl back,” Harley reassures me. Her endless confidence in what we do spikes my own. It feels like she’s guiding me through this, and for that I’m grateful.
“All of us,” Dom and Grey add at the same time.
“Guy’s, look you don’t—” Dom cuts me off with a swift, but light punch to the shoulder.
“Don’t make me kick your arse, O. There was never any question in our minds about us being part of this with you and the boys. Besides, it’s been far too long since we went back home,” he adds, reaching for Harley's hand. My shoulders relax, just a little knowing they will all be by my side, helping me get through this.
“You’d do the same for us if we needed it,” Zan adds. I would, there would never be any doubt, I’d be there at the drop of a hat.
Giving a slow nod, I add, “I appreciate it. Go grab your gear.” My voice cracks with the weight of gratitude and anxiety I feel. Overwhelmed that Charlies okay, and by their kindness. I take a step forwards and bring each of them in for a slap on the back. Harley mumbles something like ‘men’ under her breath, then hugs me fiercely. Kissing my cheek before I move away.
“Already done, mate. We’ll wait here for you,” Dom adds, pulling Harley back to his side.
I hate that’s Charlie has a huge head start on us. I’m desperate to make up the distance between us. We still have a five-ish hour flight back to the UK to deal with, and by the time we land, she would have gone for almost forty-eight hours… it’s too fucking long. But it will get me one step closer to her.
I’m heading back to the meeting room when I decide to make a de-tour to the security room, it’s been locked up since the attack the other day. Cole hacked the system to get the hall footage, but there is a camera at the other end of the hall that should cover the area where Charlie was attacked and I want to know why it’s not on their system.
Walking up the cobbled path, I spot a young guy unlocking the small cabin before heading inside.
Deciding on the normal approach, I knock on the door. It creaks when he opens it and I’m shocked to see the guy—who looks in his early twenties—has been beaten pretty bad.
“What happened to your face?”
He recoils at my question.
“Nothing, just a fight with a few friends,” he says a little too quickly, his eyes on the door behind me,
“Bullshit, don’t lie to me, kid. What happened?” I force him to sit in the chair by the desk surrounded by the screens monitoring the entire resort.
“What’s your name?” he asks me.
“Why do you need to know?” He looks down, then straightens and looks me in the eye.
“It’s important. I need to know your name. Not your real name. I know that’s Owen, but the nickname they gave you in your unit.”
“What the hell? Kid, you best start explaining otherwise you’re going to have a few extra bruises to go along with the ones you already have.” I step forward and he flinches but sits steady.
“Then tell me your name. She said you had to give me that so I would trust you are who you say you are.” He’s shanking, but give the kid some credit, he’s not giving up.
My fingers flex at the thought he may be talking about Charlie. Did she know I was here? Or that I’d come looking for her?
“Do you mean Charlie?” He nods in silent agreement. “Ghost, they call me the ghost.” It comes out in a rush. I want to know what he knows, and I need it now. The kid sags in relief.
“Tell me what you know…”
“The other day, she came running into the cabin. Do you know… is she okay? She had a huge bruise on her face.” He looks genuinely concerned.
“I don’t know. That’s what we are trying to find out. Please tell me everything.” It’s forced, but it’s softened a fraction. I want him to feel comfortable telling whatever it is.
“Okay… When she ran in, she asked me to download a bit of video from the hall just outside the café. She got me to email it to her phone. She sat there right where you are now and saved it. Turned her phone off, grabbed an envelope from the desk and slid the phone in, with a note.”
“What did she do with it? Did she delete the footage from the system afterwards? We can’t find it?” I’m willing myself to remain as fucking calm as I can, but I’m radiating so many emotions, I can’t get a handle on them.
“No, she told me to leave it there, and that others would come looking for it. She even warned me that it would be better if I told my boss I was sick and head home.”
“So, you went home? What happened to you face?” I’m not getting the full story.
“Before she left, she handed me the envelope. Asked me to hold on to it, hide it until the ghost came looking. I hid it in the roof tiles.” He points up. I have never moved so fast in my life.
Reaching up, I feel around, and there it is. The paper crinkles underneath the tips of my fingers. When I take it down, it has ‘Cerberus’ written on it. Not my name, my company’s name. That stings.
“After that, she ran towards the front of the building. I watched her on the monitors getting into a flashy car, and she was gone.” You can see the weight leave his shoulders, getting it all off his chest.
I guess the information matches up, at least. “If you didn’t delete the footage, who did?”
“I was just packing my stuff up to get out when two guys walked right in. They did this to my face. One of them searched the database for the footage and deleted a load of stuff from it, and then they just left. Didn’t say a word. I went home and came back just now.”
“Thanks, kid.” I leave the cabin with the envelope gripped in my hand. I want to tear it open and see what’s inside, see what’s on the note. However shit this is, this is the first bit of contact we’ve had. It’s scraping the barrel, I know.
Settling into the jet, I tell everyone what I know, and what I have in my hands. Dom takes it off me and places it in an evidence bag, then hands it back to me.
“Just for safe keeping. Cole will deal with it when we get back. Don’t open it until then.”
I can’t do it. It’s burning a hole in my hand. I want to know before we take off. What if she hid something else and left it for me at the complex?
Opening the bag, all eyes land on me.
Taking the knife from my pocket, it slices open the top of the envelope with ease, an old habit from my army days. I peer inside. There, at the bottom, is Charlie’s phone in its multi-coloured case, alongside a small handwritten note addressed to me. Pulling out the note, I open the folded paper. I can see the writing was rushed. You can just make out the words she’s written.
Owen,
I’m so sorry I have to get you involved in whatever this is. I also have no choice but to run. They want me dead, and I need to figure out how to end this.
Watch the videos, confirm who they are, send it to the people who need to know. I’ll send you more when I can.
Don’t look for me, it will only lead to more people getting hurt. This is not your fight. Just keep the information safe.
I’m so sorry,
Please forgive me for not coming to you.
Charlie xx
Handing the note over to Zan, he reads it and drops his head into his hands then passes it on, each one having a similar reaction, cursing under their breath, and shaking their heads.
I can’t take anymore, it’s too much. Standing up from my seat, I throw my fist into the first thing I see. The cabinet next to me crumbles, cups and glasses flying everywhere, smashing to the floor. Zan and Dom grab my arms and sit me back down.
“We need to be able to fly home, mate. I can’t let you carry on.” I know Zan’s right, so I sit in the chair formulating a plan to find my angel.
She’s on her own, alone. And fuck knows where.